(1927) The
Auckland isthmus has been settled by
Tāmaki Māori since around the 13th or 14th centuries. Maungawhau was the principal
pā settled by Huakaiwaka, the eponymous ancestor of
Waiohua, and remained an important area for Waiohua from the 17th century to around the year 1740. Maungawhau was extensively terraced, and defensive ditches were created around four areas of the maunga. In 1840, Ngāti Whātua gifted of land on the
Auckland isthmus to European settlers, in order to establish the new capital of Auckland. Maungawhau / Mount Eden was the southern point of this area. As late as the 1850s, four distinct terraces could be seen on the cone, which were obscured by vegetation or by quarrying. An underground water reservoir has been located on the northern side of Maungawhau / Mount Eden since the 1880s. The original reservoir was replaced in 1912, and a second, complementary, reservoir added in 1929. This reservoir resulted in the collapse of a 12-meter section of the reservoir wall, sending 800,000 gallons of water and rock, down the mountain causing significant damage to properties and blocking Mt Eden Road. The
trig station at the summit was used as a reference point for drawing up Auckland's suburbs. The platform was built with help from
Prince Alfred's elephant. The elephant was rewarded with lollies, buns and beer. In the early 20th Century, stone was quarried by
Mount Eden Prison inmates from Maungawhau / Mount Eden for use in road projects. From the 1950s the peak was used by the
New Zealand Post Office for VHF radio communications in two buildings, several hundred metres apart, each with their own antenna farm. One building housed transmitting equipment, while the other housed receiving equipment. In the 1960s the site was staffed during the five-day working week due to the large number of valves that wore out under the stress of high power and needed frequent servicing. Typical use of the facility was for businesses e.g. taxi or delivery firms needing mobile communications to vehicles. In 1973, the crater of Maungawhau / Mount Eden was the venue for
Mt Eden Crater Performance, a performance piece by artist
Bruce Barber, which involved a blind art master and drummers. During the mid-1980s, artist
Philip Dadson organised annual
winter solstice celebrations in the crater.
Treaty settlement In the 2014
Treaty of Waitangi settlement between the
Crown and the
Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau collective of 13 Auckland
iwi and
hapū (also known as the Tāmaki Collective), ownership of the 14
Tūpuna Maunga of Auckland, was vested to the collective, including the volcano officially named Maungawhau / Mount Eden. The legislation specified that the land be held in trust "for the common benefit of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and the other people of Auckland". The
Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority or Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) is the co-governance organisation established to administer the 14
Tūpuna Maunga. Auckland Council manages Mount Eden under the direction of the TMA. In 2019, the 1926 Spanish Mission-style tearoom was converted into
Whau Cafe and the
Te Ipu Kōrero o Maungawhau / Mount Eden Visitor Experience Centre. The centre showcases the geological and Māori cultural history of the maunga. In 2020, boardwalks were opened around the crater rim, to protect the
pā tūāpapa (terraces) and
rua kūmara (kūmara storage pits) on the summit's upper slopes. Views from the boardwalk into the deep crater and over Auckland city are spectacular. ==Gallery==